The profile of the perpetrator of the massacre against Jehovah's Witnesses in Hamburg is becoming clearer. Philipp F. murdered six members of his former community and killed the 7-month-old fetus of a seriously injured woman, before committing suicide.

The 35-year-old lived in a modest apartment in the west of the Hanseatic city, according to the German press. He presents himself as a successful businessman on his personal website and on his LinkedIn account, which AFP was able to consult.



Management controller, author and preacher

He offered his consulting and general management services in "management control, finance and accounting", for an exorbitant fee of 250,000 euros per day. A price justified by its ability to "generate added value of 2.5 million euros" for the companies advised, and by its "holistic" approach, taking into account "theology and law".

His professional website is riddled with references to the Bible and football, including Liverpool. He was also promoting a self-published book on Amazon: "The Truth About God, Jesus Christ and Satan." His goal? Enlighten in 292 pages "any person holding a managerial position in the fields of economics, science, politics and entertainment".

In the book, which Amazon removed from its site, it writes that it has behind it "a personal journey to hell that lasted more than three years" and that there is a "higher celestial government" with 101 million spiritual beings. The book presents the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine as divine punishments. He also developed a pro-Russian and misogynistic discourse, according to Der Spiegel.

Questioning about his psychiatric condition

According to his own information, Philipp F. was raised in a "strict" evangelical family. Single, the entrepreneur had lost his last salaried job in 2020 and has been a self-employed financial advisor ever since. The man legally had a weapon with which he shot members of his former community.

The police had been warned by an anonymous letter of his possible dangerousness in January. The visit of the police to his apartment had yielded nothing, the police speaking of a "cooperative" attitude. The letter warned that he could be suffering from "a psychiatric illness."

Following the tragedy, it is established that the former Witness "harbored a rage against Jehovah's Witnesses". Some testimonies, according to police, say he was excluded from his community. And the daily Bild understands that this exclusion was decided after the publication of Philipp F's book. Other testimonies state that he left the Witnesses of his own free will.

  • Justice
  • Germany
  • Jehovah's Witnesses
  • Slaughter